


The (Sometimes) United States of America

by magicandlight, the_robin_woman



Series: The States [53]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alaska and Hawaii are eighth graders, America is totally a soccer mom, Gen, Nations find out about States, Reveal, Rewrite, present-day, this is actually my worst story please don't read it first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 21:06:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15445848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicandlight/pseuds/magicandlight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_robin_woman/pseuds/the_robin_woman
Summary: In 1739, America found his first colonies- the colonies that would one day grow to become his first states. America hid them from the world, worried they would become bargaining chips in wars. Over time, they created a family that stretched from sea to shining sea, and found security as a world power.So what will happen when a centuries-old secret is revealed?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the rewrite of the original Sometimes United States. I'm rewriting because the original lacked structure, planning, and plot.

**_1739_**  
It's been a week since Alfred had found the twin representations of Virginia.

They bounce around the study as he drafts a letter to England.

He was looking it over for errors when Wesley knocked over a jar of quills.

Both Virginias skitter out of reach, still wary.

Alfred smiles, picking up the jar. "It's alright. Look, it isn't broken or anything. No harm done."

He sits back down, watching out of the corner of his eye as the twins go back to playing, less rowdy than before.

Alfred smiles as he remembers his own childhood, with all things he'd broken.

He glances back towards the letter and feels uneasiness creeping in.

Well, it was only right that he should find the other colonies before he told Arthur, right?

\------------------

He finds Delaware next, and he realization chokes him.

She isn't one of Arthur's. Delaware slips into Swedish or Finnish or a mixture of both when she's angry or tired or upset.

Alfred recalls the way Arthur had reacted when Francis had started teaching him and Matt French.

\------------------

The next six colonies aren't issues. There are touches of other nations in them, but they're Arthur's. Maine is something else Alfred decides to worry about later.

And then there is New York.

Arthur would have had a fit over New York.

Already, Alfred can tell her skin isn't just tanned, it's a shade darker than his. She refuses to wear dresses because they're too restricting. Sometimes she refuses shoes. Her first language was Dutch and her second was Iroquois.

Arthur would have given her hell for just being Netherlands' child, not to mention the other things.

Alfred can see a future full of his children being forced into suffocating propriety. East and Massachusetts fawned over while Delaware and New York are always second-class. Georgia's formation would be used against her- a colony that began as a place to send criminals. West would always be the lesser twin. The Carolinas and their fondness of pranks would be regarded with smothering suspicion.

\------------------

He finds New Jersey and then New Hampshire and Vermont, and Alfred can see a future full of his children used as pawns in Europe's game of Empires.

Alfred burns the letter.

 

**_2017_ **

Sera crossed her arms as she looked at the calendar. Namely, the double-booked meetings occurring in DC. 

Alfred buried his head in his hands with a groan. 

"Couldn't you reschedule the nations?"

"This  _is_  the reschedule, from last time when Prussia and Denmark had that prank. Everything's already booked. Germany would murder me if I canceled it."

Sera nodded. "...You end the meeting at two, right?"

"If we don't go into overtime, then yes."

"We could move the states meeting down and start it at three, end at seven, add an extra day. I'm sure they'll all be fine with it. I'll tell them to be more alert and avoid the nations. Easy."

Alfred scrubbed his hands over his face. Forget easy. It would be a miracle if they could pull this off. 


	2. It's Probably All Molossia's fault (Okay, Maybe Not All His Fault)

**America, Meeting Room, Washington DC**  
He'd said text if there was an emergency, and Callie apparently decided that meant she could snapchat him about non-emergencies.

He subtly unlocked his phone under the table and reevaluated his opinion of non-emergencies.

_Callie: so we invented a new sport_

_Callie: we've named it death lacrosse_

_Callie: i'm pretty sure theo threw the ball at tex so hard he has a concussion_

_Callie: Del's goalie and she hit the ball so hard it scored a goal on the other side_

_Alfred: what_

_Alfred: is Austin alright???_

_Alfred: Callie_

_Callie: yeah i mean he's still playing so_

"America! Pay attention! France, leave England alone!" Germany shouts, stopping his presentation.

Alfred slips his phone into his pocket and sighs.

 **Hawaii** **(Lani)** **, Bundy Field, Washington DC**  
"Why can't we play death lacrosse?" Alexander's arms were crossed as he frowned up at Sera.

Sera glanced over the soccer field turned lacrosse court and winced as the ball hit Sol in the face.

"Um... sorry, but I think you're a bit young for this one."

Lani frowned as Sera shrugged and walked away to sit with Leo.

"This is  _boring_." Sasha complained, flopping back into the grass.

Lani nodded in agreement, rifling through her bag for her tablet.

"Want to find something fun to do?"

 **Sealand, Outside the Meeting Room, Washington DC**  
The micronations have been kicked out of the meeting room again. 

It's definitely unfair. 

Ladonia is content to put on his headphones and websurf, but Sealand refuses!

Switzerland locks the door after Sealand attempts to invade the meeting room. 

Well, if they're going to be locked out of the meeting, they might as well go explore. 

Maybe they can find ice cream. 

Sealand perks up. 

"Hey, hey, Wy, hey-"

She huffs and sets down her magazine (about art, boring). "What?"

"Let's go get ice cream!"

Wy considers it for a moment, eventually nodding. 

She kicks her brother lightly. "Hutt, me and Sea are going to get ice cream."

Hutt nods absent-mindedly, focused on reading his book. 

Both micronations are already gone by the time he looks up, finally registering the words. "Wait, what?" 

Hutt River pales. Australia's going to kill him.

 **Alaska (Sasha), Washington DC**  
They eventually decide to go to zoo. It's a compromise. Lani wanted to go to the Natural Science Museum because of the butterflies, and Sasha wanted to go to the Air and Space Museum to see the Cold War exhibits, but the zoo had animals and they could agree on that. 

(They both agreed that most zoos paled in comparison to David's, but Sasha supposed you couldn't fit five miles of habitat in every city.)

The good thing about the Smithsonian Museums are that admittance is free. The zoo is no different, thankfully. 

Sasha probably should have told Sera that they were leaving, but she won't be too mad. Hopefully. 

They're halfway to Connecticut Avenue where the zoo is when Lani stops in her tracks. 

"Do you feel that?"

Sasha frowns at his sister. "What? The Nations?"

Lani frowns back. "No, it's like Mol, but different. Come on."

Like Molossia probably meant another micronation. 

Sasha shakes his head and darts across the road after his sister. 

\----------

"That's Sealand, right?" Sasha asked. 

Lani nodded. She made a point of knowing other islands, even if only by name. She edged closer to hear what the ice cream truck man was saying that made Wy cross her arms. 

"I don't think they have enough money for their ice cream." She hummed, and dug through her bag. 

Sasha began digging through his pockets. Alfred was big on random acts of kindness. He said they were everyday heroic acts. 

Between them, they scrounged up nineteen dollars and thirty-three cents, a marker, three sticks of bubblegum, and a linty skittle. 

Lani smiled and ran up, slipping between the two micronations and dropping the money on the countertop. "I'd like to finish paying for their ice cream, sir."

The micronations stared. The man shook his head and handed over two ice cream bars, and the change. 

Lani looked over at him, and Sasha studied the ice cream menu for something they had enough for two of. "Two firecrackers, please."

The man shrugged and got them out of the freezer, passing them over the counter. 

Lani tossed Sasha his, and he unwrapped it as they walked over to join the micronations. 

Lani smiled. "Are you lost?"

"No," Sealand said. 

"Yes," Wy answered. "We were looking for an ice cream truck and now we don't remember how to get back."

Lani looked over at Sasha and shrugged. There went the zoo. They couldn't just leave two micronations lost in DC. It would make Alfred look bad. 

 **Delaware (Del), Bundy Field, Washington DC**  
Del's having fun being goalie. Her and Cam are making a game of trying to hit the balls into each other's goals, which causes some others to complain about ball-hogging, but whatever. 

It's when she hits the ball out of bounds that she notices the absence of two states that should have been sitting on the grass  _right there_.

She glances around. 

Sera and Leo are lying on a blanket in the shade, Brooke is painting her nails on the sidewalk a little way away with Cal beside her, and Addison and Mindy are talking beneath a tree. 

She looks around again. States are scattered around her, but no Lani and no Sasha. 

"TIMEOUT!"

The game freezes. 

"Where's Sasha and Lani?"

 **America, Meeting Room, Washington DC**  
Australia gets a text in the middle of Lithuania's presentation and immediately gets up and leaves. 

It isn't until a moment later that he comes back and announces that Wy and Sealand have wandered off that America starts to feel uneasy. 

\----------

Finland organizes the nations into search parties with intimidating ferocity, and America subtly sends off a text to Sera to see if she can sense them. 

They're in the lobby, ready to split up, when America feels two of his states approaching.

 **Molossia, Lobby, Washington DC**  
Molossia knows, of course. He's got the last name Jones and his nation is within the Nevada boundary. It'd be hard not to know.

They're sort of like cousins. Nate's awkward around him, but Emily comes by with cookies because she's that sort of nice you can't dislike. Callie once visited his province in SoCal and told him it was cool. 

Sometimes he comes to Thanksgiving and that's sort of nice. (Except for Prussia.)

But they are a very separate part of his existence than the nations. A handful of nations are in the know, but the majority are not.

They don't mix. 

Which is why when he sees the youngest states escorting the micronations back into the building, he speaks without thinking. 

"Alaska? Hawaii?"

Molossia claps a hand over his mouth, but the damage is done. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTES
> 
> Okay so, names, just in case you haven't aren't vaguely familiar with the states through my other stories:
> 
> Callie- California  
> Theo- Oklahoma  
> Austin- Texas  
> Del- Delaware (short for Adela)  
> Sera- DC  
> Alexander/Sasha- Alaska (Sasha is a Russian nickname for Alexander)  
> Lani- Hawaii  
> Leo- Puerto Rico
> 
> Others will be introduced later
> 
>  
> 
> Other Notes:
> 
> Yes, there are states dating each other, and no they aren't really related to each other. Even the 'twins' aren't really related to each other in human terms. In my headcanon, nations don't have DNA because they are literally personified ideas and how exactly would the representations of thousands of people have DNA? In canon, Iceland's DNA test is actually an excavation, which is where this came from. Also, they aren't born like humans are and the states are so wildly different they wouldn't have the same DNA even then. 
> 
> So if people could stop complaining about my lack of research on the states because I call the Carolinas or the Virginias twins, or calling any relationships between them incest, that would be nice. And if you really hate states so much, then why are you reading fics about them? There's probably much better uses of your time, like reading things you actually enjoy.


	3. Tactical Retreats and the Crashing of World Meetings

**America (Alfred), Lobby, DC**  
Alfred's first thought is a series of curse words.

Germany unfreezes first. "Wait, Alaska? Isn't that a state?"

Lani grimaces. "Uh oh," she mutters.

Sasha seems to have the same opinion. "Um, well, it's been fun, but we're gonna go now-"

He spins on his heel, and- smacks straight into Belarus, who leans over to study his features, likely noting his similarities to Russia.

Lani sends him an apologetic look that says she won't leave without Sasha.

Sasha takes a step away from Belarus, putting him closer to the other nations. Lani moves in front of him to protect his back and levels a glare at the closest nations.

Alfred isn't sure whether he should be proud or mortified as a few nations take a step back.

"America?" England questions, staring at the two pre-teens.

Alfred bites his cheek.

_"Even if they did find out, what could they do?" Sera asked. "We can take care of ourselves, and the risks _aren't_ high anyway. It's a different world than it once was."_

He closes his eyes.

"They're my states."

Chaos.

"You told me there was no Vermont!" (France)

"You're states? Cool!" (Sealand)

"There are fifty of them?!" (Various Nations, multiple times)

A small hand grips his. Alfred squeezes Lani's fingers reassuringly and tunes out the nations. Sasha leans into his sister.

He offers up a megawatt Hollywood smile. "Well, meeting dismissed!"

 **DC (Sera), White House, DC**  
Sera thumps her head against the table once before scrubbing her face with her hands. "So, let me get this right. You revealed the existence of the states, and then  _ran_."

Alfred frowns. "Tactical retreat."

Ginny snorts. Alfred shoots her a look that says  _I-don't-care-how-old-you-are-I-will-ground-you-so-fast_.

 **Prussia, Meeting Room, DC**  
"How did no one know?" England wonders aloud.

Prussia rolls his eyes. It's the fifth time he's asked that.

On the other hand, everyone else knew now, so... "I knew."

England turns his head slowly. "What."

Germany raises his eyebrows. "Why would America tell you of all people?"

Prussia smirked at England. "Who do you think trained them at Valley Forge?"

It took France and Japan to restrain England from lunging across the table.

France frowns at him. "And you didn't think this was important?"

Prussia shrugs. "You're acting as if I'm the only one who knew." He leans forward on the table to look at Russia. "Isn't that right?"

England looks between them with a  _you've-got-to-be-kidding-me_  look.

"Are there really  _fifty_?" Hungary questions.

Prussia rolls his eyes. "No."

England sighs in relief.

"There are fifty-six." Prussia continues.

 **New York (Brooke), White House, DC**  
Brooke leans against her brother in a comforting gesture of solidarity leftover from their childhood.

They had both met their so-called 'other-father' before. Brooke remembers being drawn to him, and she remembers Mika being angry with her.

It had been the first and only time Mika had raised a hand to her after she found out that Brooke had run off to see the country she was named for.

Nicky's memories were vaguer, but he'd once told her about Netherlands and the giant black Friesian stallion.

They'd both begged Matt to let them assist in the liberation of the Netherlands during the second war. It had been the closest they had ever been to him.

And now he knew.

Mika had once told Alfred that Netherlands had come looking for her. Mika had told him there was no New Netherlands, and Brooke thought that was the start of the secret.

"Do you think he'll like us?" Nicky whispers.

Brooke huffs, tilting her chin up. "What's not to like?"

Nicky snorts, the effect she was going for.

She ruffles his hair. "And if he doesn't like us, then fuck him."

Nicky laughs, and Adam glances toward them with a raised eyebrow. Brooke shrugs.

Adam comes over after a quick word to Sam. "Well, I'm pretty sure Sam's only okay with this because now she can physically fight England."

Nicky laughed again, and Brooke smiled. "As opposed to passively-aggressively stealing all of the Earl Grey from the snack tables before meetings?"

"Remember the time he called Al an idiot so Michael and Cordelia mailed an envelope of glitter to his hotel room?" Nicky chipped in.

"Oh my god, he had blue glitter in his hair for the rest of the meeting."

Alfred whistled to get everyone's attention. "Alright, so I'll go to the meeting tomorrow and we can go from there. All in favor?"

There were forty-nine ayes and one yelp that came from Caden as Annalise stepped on his foot. Brooke winced in sympathy. Anna's boots had heels.

Alfred nodded. "Alright."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **England, Meeting Room, DC**  
The next morning finds them all sitting at a table, staring at the only vacant seat.

The place card reads The United States of America.

Thirty minutes before the meeting, the door opens.

\----------

It's a teenage girl.

Mexico groans and hits her head against the table.

The girl just smiles as she flops down into America's seat, everything about her- from her careless pose to her artfully tousled hair- echoing with a sort of lazy, relaxed poise.

She sets an elbow on the table, propping her head on her fist like a millennial version of  _The Thinker_. "You have fifteen minutes before America gets here. Maybe thirty if he procrastinates."

Romano is the first to speak, surprisingly. " _Che cazzo_?"

The girl gives a bemused smile. "That's pleasant. Do you curse at everyone or only strangers?"

Spain is frowning as he scrutinizes the girl.

"You're a state, then?" France asks, ignoring Prussia's barely suppressed laughter and Mexico thumping her head against the table again.

"Number thirty-one."

England doesn't bother trying to figure out which one that is. All he knows is that Alaska is forty-ninth and Delaware is first, and that Washington DC isn't a state at all.

She's a mix of features that point to different heritages- bronzed skin, full eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, full lips, a heart-shaped face. Her hair is layered with multiple colors- bleach blonde strands mixing with dark brown ones, and then every shade in between. It's highlighted or lowlighted or whatever with a pale blue. She's dressed casually but fashionably- ripped skinny jeans tucked into brown boots, a yellow knit sweater slipping down one shoulder, a pair of sunglasses perched in her hair. Something about her is reminiscent of an old Hollywood starlet, all Monroe and Taylor and Hepburn.

The state ignores the confused looks being thrown her way in order to scrutinize Netherlands.

His neutral expression is replaced with wide eyes when the state speaks. "I always wondered where the height and messy hair came from."

The state grins. Mexico groans. " _Callie_."

 _Oh_ , England thinks.  _California_.

Well, probably. America seems like the type to make his state's human names similar to their state ones.

California gives Mexico a disinterested look. "Lora." She leans back in her chair, quirking an eyebrow. "You know, I thought there would be less staring and more questions."

Germany clears his throat. "Is there really one for every state?"

California grins. "Finally. Someone speaks. And of course."

China gives the teenaged state an appraising look. "And America just kept you all hidden away for centuries?"

None of the sarcasm is lost on California, and her grin becomes something a touch sharper. "Oh, not exactly. If any of you decided to use basic observational skills this whole secret business could have been over with before the Revolution. We weren't particularly subtle. Some of you have seen one of us before, sometimes even spoken with one. For example, Spain." She rested her elbows on the table. "Me and you have met before. I was much younger then, of course."

Spain's eyebrows furrowed. "When?"

California waves her hand dismissively. "If you want a specific year, you'll have to ask Mexico. It was mid-eighteenth century, though, I believe." She fished a pendant out of her shirt, and held it so Spain could see. "I was named for Saint Valentine, before."

Spain frownes for a long moment, before turning an accusing look on Mexico. "You knew! Even back then. You said they were left on the mission steps!"

Before Mexico could defend herself, the doors opened again. 

"Hey, guys- Cal?" America pauses halfway to his seat. 

He sighs, like states crashing meetings was an everyday occurrence. "Cal, I thought we all agreed on the course of action yesterday."

She shrugs. "It was never stated that we had to stay home."

"I didn't realize I had to list the terms and conditions."

"No one reads the terms and conditions anyway."

America smiled. "Just go, Cal."

California shrugged and stood in a fluid motion. 

She gave America a fistbump as she passed, and then she was out the door. 

America cleared his throat. "So... the states."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Monroe, Taylor, and Hepburn refer to three of the most well known Hollywood starlets of all time: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Audrey Hepburn. 
> 
> California and Spain have met: 1768, when Mexico was still a Spanish colony and Cal was still Alta California. It's in Twenty-Five Times. 
> 
> When Cal was Alta California, Mexico named her Valentina. When she became a US territory, America changed her name to Calypso "Callie". 
> 
> Mexico and Cal sort of have issues, sort of like Mass-England but slightly less independence and more yelling at each other in Spanish.


	4. Where does the apostrophe in yaint go?

**Germany, Meeting room**  
Germany sighs, rubbing his forehead. "So, you have fifty-six children, including territories?"

America nods. 

"And they all just... live with you?"

America raised his eyebrows. "Um, no. That would be mass chaos. Most of them live within their own states. They come home for Christmas and Thanksgiving, but there's no way they could all live together full time."

"Why?" France has a peculiar expression- a mix of questioning and something almost like loss.

America shifts. "Well, I found Virginia- the twins- in 1739, and then the rest of Originals. When the war started, I didn't want them drawn into it in any form. By the revolution, I'd figured it was better if no one knew, that way it wouldn't come down on them if we lost the war."

"The Seven Years war didn't start until 1756. That's an entire decade and then some. Why did you originally decide that no one else deserved to know?" England bit out. 

America met his gaze steadily. "Not all of the colonies were English. There were sixteen, not thirteen- two Virginias, Maine, Vermont." 

France's eyes widened.

Germany changes the subject before a fight can start. "Will we be meeting them?"

America shrugs, successfully distracted by the question. "I won't force them to do anything. They will if they want to."

California had been an experience. If there were fifty-five personifications like her, then Germany wasn't sure he wanted to meet them all. 

One America was quite enough, thank you.

Germany just nods again and stands to start the meeting. 

 

**America**

Of course, that isn't the end of it. 

The Netherlands approaches him during the five-minute break to ask what exactly California meant about the height and messy hair, and America sighed and simply told him that New Jersey and New York weren't exactly English. 

Spain throws paper balls at him asking questions about Cal, and then he must have googled former Spanish territories because he starts asking about Florida and the other Alta states and Texas and America wants to bang his head against a wall. 

Ukraine and Belarus have at least decided that Russia is the better one to bother, even though Belarus keeps shooting America suspicious looks. 

France works up the courage to ask about Louisiana and Vermont, and America tries to keep his responses as vague as possible. 

But out of all of them, England is the one who latches on to America after Germany dismisses them and says that he'd like to meet them.

Which isn't the greatest idea. America tries to explain this without mentioning words such as  _revolution_  or _fire_. 

Unfortunately, England has made up his mind.

So America texts the group chat, and prays he won't have to break up a fight tonight.

 

**England**

"I thought we were going to meet your states?" England blurts out as America hands him a stack of pizza boxes. 

America himself is carrying even more boxes, and he snorts. "They're teenagers. Pizza is a peace offering."

America leads him into a government building and this must be a regular occurrence, because the workers just smile and buzz them in, holding doors whenever necessary. 

England follows America through another door and nearly drops the pizzas at the sight of what is clearly the states. America had apparently anticipated this, because he reaches out to steady England's stack even as he drops the ones he had carried onto the table.

America had had their entire collective attention from the moment he walked in, but now some of it was on England, too. 

The states didn't have place cards the way nations did, so he had no idea which ones were which, but England recognizes California leaning against a boy with a similar skin tone and eye color, and Alaska and Hawaii sitting beside each other.

He glances over the states, pausing for a moment to wonder about the state with one blue eye and one green, taking in the different hair and eye colors, the vast difference between skin tones. 

A girl who looks like Spain has her head on a redheaded girl's shoulder. A boy with France's eyes and green glasses taps his fingers against the table. A girl who looks startlingly like Mexico has her head propped up on her hands. 

England stops when he catches sight of the state watching him suspiciously with familiar green eyes. Her hair is dyed bubblegum pink, but he's almost certain that under the dye is pale blonde hair. 

His breath catches in his throat. 

"Three seconds in and he's unresponsive from shock. Nice."

America sighs. "Daniel."

The state- Daniel, apparently- shrugged. The almost identical one beside him gave America a lopsided grin. "Is he wrong, though?" Not-Daniel mused.

America rolled his eyes, grabbing a chair and situating it beside the empty one at the head of the table before he sat down. 

It took a few seconds of America staring at him expectantly to realize that he was supposed to sit down, too. 

"You missed it, Al, Austin unironically said y'aint in a sentence." A girl called out to break the silence. 

There were several muffled laughs. 

One of the boys lifted his head from where it had been pillowed on the table to glare at her. "You try working a sixty-hour week, doing all this paperwork, and then getting on a plane to go halfway across the country, and then trying to stay awake enough to care about something as trivial as double contractions. So fuck  _y'all_." 

America turns a laugh into a cough. Most of the states don't bother to hide their laughter.

The state rolls his eyes and nods at England in greeting. "I'm Texas."

America leans toward England. "Southwest likes you better than the East Coast. They don't really have a reason to hate you, please don't give them one."

So England gives Texas a half-smile. "England."

The girl on Texas's other side grins. "Yeah, we know."

"Evangeline," America sighs out.

The state sitting closest to England rolls her eyes and leans in. "Evangeline is Louisiana, and Daniel and David are the Carolinas," She helpfully whispers.

"And you are?"

"Delaware."

Delaware is a state he remembers at least. 

They both watch as half the table dissolves into chaos as they argue whether pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping. 

"Are they all usually like this?"

Delaware grins. "Worse, usually."


	5. Obligatory Awkward Family Meetings and a Conclusion (sort of)

**The next day: Finland**  
They're all trying to pretend that they aren't betting on whether or not the blonde girl talking to America is one of his states. 

They all try to pretend they aren't watching as she walks away from America, and across the room and-

Stops right in front of where the Nordics sit together, facing Sweden and Finland. 

She smiles. "Hello. This is going to be really awkward, but 1638? You established a colony in America along the Delaware River-"

"New Sweden." Sweden interrupts. 

The girl grins. "Right. Well, that was me."

Denmark chokes on air. "Wait, what?"

She sighs. "See? Awkward. Anyway, I'm Delaware."

Finland's pretty sure he's gone into shock. 

"There's sort of a resemblance?" Iceland mutters, and Norway nods. 

There is, actually. She has Sweden's eyes and her hair is precisely the same pale shade of blonde as Finland's. She's tall like Sweden and her smile's clearly something she inherited from Finland. 

Delaware pushes up her glasses as she waits for someone to say something. 

Finland hugs her instead. 

 **America**  
Netherlands has come up to him five times before Alfred gives up and says he can set up a dinner or something. 

Brooke and Nicky don't hold any grudges. 

 **Netherlands**  
Belgium is smiling cheerfully.

Luxembourg looks almost as uncomfortable.

Netherlands has transcended past uncomfortable into an emotion called ' _why-can't-a-hole-just-open-up-right-now-dear-god-I'd-rather-be-mauled-to-death-by-a-bear-at-this-point._ '

Until the bell above the door had rung and Netherlands looked up into a girl with bright blue eyes, too similar to America's to be a coincidence followed by a boy with the same shock of black hair, he'd thought they wouldn't show up.

"She's New York and I'm New Jersey." The boy says after a minute.  

New York plays with the end of the scarf wrapped around her throat nervously.

The waitress comes, and New York smiles, greeting the waitress in perfect Spanish. The waitress smiles, responding back in the same language.

The waitress laughs finally, and directs her attention to the three nations on the other side of the table. "And what would you like?"

Belgium smiles, naming off some special for all of them from the menu.

The waitress writes down the orders and walks off to get their drinks.

It's Luxembourg who breaks the tense silence. "So you speak Spanish?"

New York offers a small smile. "Yeah. I have a knack for languages and I just sort of pick them up."

Netherlands takes the opening. "How many languages do you speak?"

Brooke pauses to thank the waitress as she sets the drinks down. "Somewhere in the fifties, I think."

Luxembourg, who had just taken a sip of his drink, chokes. Belgium thumps his back.

New York looks to her brother. New Jersey frowns. "I think I'm somewhere in the thirties. Forties? I don't know. They all kind of blur together after a while."

Both states seem to think its nothing special.

They're multilingual. Polyglots to the extreme. And they act like that isn't an amazing accomplishment. Netherlands shakes his head in disbelief.

The waitress sets the plates down with a cheerful smile.

New York smiles back.

Then she directs her attention back to the three nations. "My name's Brooke."

New Jersey follows her lead. "Mine's Nicholas."

"I'm Emma." Belgium says, she gestures to Luzembourg. "He's Luca."

Netherlands offers a small smile. "My name is Lars."  
————————  
After that, they fade back into awkwardness.

Brooke pushes her food around her plate.

Emma sighs, and tries to make conversation. "So... have any hobbies?"

Nicholas hums. "Brooke does her art stuff. I garden."

Lars sits a little straighter. "What kind of gardening?"

"Flowers, mostly. I like violets, but I have a variety of flowers that attract honeybees. Some rose bushes and dogwoods."

Lars nods thoughtfully, but Emma interrupts before he can spend the entire dinner talking about gardening.

"What type of art? Sculpting, sketching, painting?"

"A bit of everything. I like charcoals best, right now." This smile is softer than any of the others today. "Will got so upset that I got fingerprints all over the place the other day. I think he's starting to prefer the paints."

Nicholas smiles, but Lars is just confused. "Wait, who's Will?"

"He's her significant other." Nicholas finally answers after a few minutes of looking at Brooke.

Lars blinks at Brooke a few times. "What?"

Brooke looks a little uncomfortable. "Will's Pennsylvania. We've been together since the 1860s."

Suddenly it hits Lars, how much he's missed. How much he could have had if he'd just looked for them a little longer.

He clears his throat. "I did look for you, back when I first began the colony."

Brooke blinks, and looks away. "I know. Mika told me when I was old enough to understand her reasons. I understood, but it didn't stop me from being angry."

Lars can't keep up with all the names. "Mika?"

"Oneida. Closest thing I had to a parent before Alfred, although she's more like a crazy aunt than a mother." Brooke met his eyes. "She's the one who found me first, and the one who told you I didn't exist."

Her voice is apologetic. "She thought she was protecting me."

Suddenly, it's too much for him, he stands. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get some air."

 **Belgium**  
Awkward silence pervades the table.

And Emma had such high hopes for this dinner.

Nicholas and Brooke keep exchanging looks between staring at their plates contemplatively.

 _God knows how long it will to Lars to get himself together_.

 _Time for an icebreaker_.

 **Netherlands**  
By the time, he gets back to the tabe, there's a sketchbook in the center and Emma is scrolling through photos on someone's phone.

"How many dogs do you have again?" Emma asks.

Nicholas taps his fingers. "Well, there's Di, she's the one with the blue collar-"

Brooke grins. "We call her Wonderdog, 'cause her full name is Diana."

"And there's Bruce in the black collar-"

"Batdog."

"And then there's Kent in the red collar-"

"Superdog, completing the holy trinity of DC superheroes."

Lars has no idea what the hell that means, but he nods as he sits back down.

And they talk about anything and everything, and when the three nations get up to leave, Brooke hugs them all. 

 **Three Days Later: America, Washington DC, White House**  
"On a scale of one to ten, how big a mess is this going to turn into?" Alfred asks.

Ginny snorts. "Don't be so over-dramatic."

"Three," Sera says. "Which is about the same level as Cassidy's cooking."

They both look at her. Sera shrugs. "I mean, it's bound to be interesting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of this being a long, drawn out story, I've decided to make it a series of smaller ones. I don't really like the story line of nations finding out about the states since it's sort of a cliche, but it needed to happen at some point in the verse.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: look, if you don't like state ocs then don't read? it's that simple.


End file.
